Human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are driving environmental issues, particularly global warming. To halt climate change, these emissions must be reduced.
Cities and businesses worldwide are setting goals to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change using Distributed Energy Solutions. These goals and pledges are frequently linked to a goal of achieving Net Zero emissions by a specific date in the future.
To learn more about Net Zero, continue reading this article.
What is Net Zero?
The entire magnitude of global warming is determined, according to science, by the human production of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Therefore, it is critical to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid catastrophic climate change.
As a result, part of the Paris Agreement was signed in 2016, governments all around the globe promised to aim to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
What Does Net Zero Mean?
To achieve carbon neutrality, offsetting negative emissions by eliminating emissions from the atmosphere is referred to as being net zero.
This may be understood using the analogy of a sink full of water. To prevent the sink from overflowing, turn off the faucets or remove the plug and drain the water.
Ensuring the volume of water entering from the tap equals the amount draining through the plughole is what net zero means.
What Are the Steps to Achieving Net Zero?
For instance, in the United Kingdom, emissions had to be cut by 100% from 1990 levels. This may be accomplished in various ways, including individual and corporate acts.
The goal applies to various industries, from aerospace to power generation, and may be broken down into four major methods:
- Reduce Carbon Emissions from the Atmosphere– We can attain net zero by removing carbon from the atmosphere and lowering the quantity created.
Carbon capture and storage, which removes carbon dioxide emissions from the air and stores them in the ground, is one simple way to do this.
- Improving Building Energy Efficiency– Enhancing building efficiency will significantly influence achieving net-zero energy.
This usually refers to eliminating carbon from heating, although depending on the environment, other countries will look into issues such as air cooling.
Alternative energy sources and aspects like enhanced insulation and energy efficiency in buildings can help with these issues.
- Transportation Electrification- Transportation is the single greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and it is growing.
Electric cars may replace traditional gasoline and diesel automobiles, demonstrating how transportation can be made more ecologically friendly.
Distributed Energy Solutions can also be decreased by employing techniques such as light-weighting, which entails using lighter components to minimise fuel usage.
- Power Sector Decarbonization– Increased use of renewable and clean energy sources is required for electricity decarbonization.
This largely entails the usage of wind energy in the United Kingdom.
The UK now has 8GW of wind energy capacity, but it is expected that this will need to be grown by 5-10GW every year for the next 30 years to fulfil the 2050 objectives.
Though it is still a mile away from accomplishing this goal, supporting and implementing these measures will reduce the pollution caused by carbon emissions.
The majority of individuals still believe that net-zero will be achieved in the future. However, tiny adjustments may be made by practising and taking these small steps.
